Manchester Essex School Committee Unanimously Adopts $32.7 Million Level Services Budget

ESSEX -- March 18, 2025, Manchester Essex Regional School Committee unanimously adopts $32.7 million level services budget for FY26. The committee voted 7-0 Tuesday night to approve the modified carry forward level services budget at $32,682,198, preserving the middle school principal through an interim appointment rather than eliminating the position outright following a retirement. Superintendent Pam Beall warned that if an override fails at the ballot, the district faces a contingency reduction plan of 21 to 27 positions, "a fundamentally different school district," in the words of committee member Erica Gillsbury, who made the motion. Essex faces an override with an estimated impact of just over $500 per average household; Manchester expects to cover its share without an override at just under $500 per household. The committee also approved a $3,963,063 capital budget and transferred $500,000 from the district's stabilization fund to launch the Essex Elementary School feasibility study, a $1.5 million project split among the district and the two towns. A detailed contingency cut list is expected at the April 1 meeting, with a decision on school choice enrollment deferred to May 20 pending the outcome of Essex's May 13 override ballot.